Deaths of initiates could have been prevented: Cogta Deputy Minister

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The Deputy Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Prince Zolile Burns-Ncamashe, says the deaths of initiates could have been avoided if all the parties involved had played their part.

The summer initiation season, which is drawing to a close in the Eastern Cape, recorded 34 deaths of initiates, the majority of them in the OR Tambo region.

Most of the deaths are attributed to dehydration and negligence.

Hundreds of families welcomed their boys back as men during this summer season. This is a significant transition for every Xhosa male to undergo.

It is part of their growth and the foundation to be productive members of society. Mthuthuzeli Gqamlana from Mdantsane says he is happy that his son returned safely from the initiation school.

“We met them at home, we tried to instill a sense of discipline and we went there. We visited them there instilling the same thing with their traditional nurses there, every day even now we honour them, we are very pleased.”

Illegal practices surrounding the rite of passage, led to the arrest of 58 people in this summer season, resulting in three convictions already.

There have been efforts to curb deaths:

 

Burns-Ncamashe says deaths continue to taint the image of the traditional rite of passage, calling for stringent measures to be put in place to bring this practice back to its former glory.

“There is no reason to have deaths arising from dehydration, there is no reason to have deaths arising from septicemia it is simple negligence there is no reason to have reason have deaths arising from non-compliance with chronic medical its negligence at best it means both parents and caregivers have failed these families, and I am saying that without any fear of contradiction.”

An East London-based traditional surgeon, Andile Siko, says communities must work together to curb circumcision-related deaths.

“We tried we gave it our best but unfortunately there are those for instance the shooting of initiates there are some traditional surgeons who are still ignorant depriving initiates of water I think we need to go back to the drawing we will find a solution eventually but I don’t know exactly what I can say about the whole thing we need to sit down as the stakeholders and find a  better solution.”

The summer initiation season officially closes on the 18 January.